Search
This Update includes information about the 2026 Strawberry Grower Meeting, Warner Hall's and the Hammond Research Station’s field days, opportunities to partner with local food banks, and agricultural drone-related resources.
The agenda for this event can be found here. Topics will include both ornamental and edible crops.
This year’s meeting will take place on August 10, from 1 to 4 PM. Topics will include weed management in strawberries, results of a local variety trial, and updates from the Neopestalotiopsis disease detection and management project. The announcement, with additional details, is available here.
From Jake Kelston: “I manage the Food Sourcing department here at Second Harvest of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana…. We run a program called Value Added Processing/Pick & Pack Out, where we purchase seconds and culls from large produce growers that they can't sell to their customers, so that they can donate it but still make a little money back. Typically the prices are between 10 and 30 cents per pound.”
If you’re interested in this program, please contact Jake.
George Corkern, with the organization Teach Remember Communicate Grow, is involved in an effort get more food from local farms to people in need. They are interested in facilitating donations of local produce and other food, as well as purchase programs like the one through Second Harvest, mentioned above.
If you have excess produce, they may be able to help deliver it to a local food bank.
Besides donations of already-harvested produce, one thing that’s been discussed is the potential for gleaning. If, for example, you have a blueberry orchard that isn’t being picked, if you do not have sufficient labor to harvest a field of produce, or if prices or too low to economically pay workers to pick, they may be able to connect you with a group of people who can harvest that produce for local food banks.
Please contact George if you’re interested in one or more of these opportunities.
Another thing we discussed is the potential for more participation in the Hunters For The Hungry program. If you know people willing to hunt feral hogs on your land – to reduce damage to your crops – these can be taken to certain processors who will process them for local food banks at no cost to you. (Hunters for the Hungry handles other types of game and fish as well. See the website for details.)
LSU AgCenter participated in development of the recently published Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Manual. You can find more information on and download the publication through this page. The focus of this publication appears to be drone usage for data collection and field mapping rather than spraying.
Information on drone usage for spraying can be found in Agricultural Spray Drones.
A couple of Small Fruit News articles that address some of the potential for and challenges of using spray drones for small fruit crop protection can be found here:
Protecting Small Fruits with Pesticides: Investigating Sprayer Selection in Strawberry
Let me know if you have any questions.
Contact Mary Helen Ferguson, Ph.D.
The LSU AgCenter and LSU provide equal opportunities in programs and employment. Find detailed information at www.lsuagcenter.com/eeo.
